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Now confirmed club refused to allow journalists to ask Lee Charnley questions they wanted to ask

6 years ago
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The Lee Charnley interview has attracted a lot of attention in the past 24 hours, including a lot of criticism.

The interview was the first given by Charnley (on the say so of Mike Ashley no doubt) since January 2015.

So many key questions to be asked, even if the answers weren’t going to be forthcoming or satisfactory.

Most of the criticism centring on why those key questions weren’t even asked of Lee Charnley.

However, one of the journalists invited to the interview, has now revealed that the club refused to allow just any question to be asked, with it being limited to only the recently filed Newcastle United Accounts for 2016/17, no other subjects allowed.

Chris Waugh of the Chronicle says below that they will ‘endeavour for further on-the-record interviews in the future’ – but I do seem to remember Mark Douglas of the Chronicle saying the same back in January 2015.

So by my reckoning, we can look forward to the next Lee Charnley interview around Christmas 2021.

The club have clearly initiated this, wanting to get out their agenda regarding those latest accounts, and building up Mike Ashley.

I doubt if many/any fans will have been convinced that anything has changed at Newcastle United.

The Chronicle:

‘Why were the topics discussed with Lee Charnley not more wide ranging? Why were questions not answered that Chronicle Live have suggested should be asked in the past?’

‘The queries about the Q&A with Lee Charnley and why certain questions, which I have suggested myself should be answered by the club in the past, do not appear is a fair one – and I am quite happy to answer it.

We have put all the questions listed – regarding Justin Barnes’ role at the club, potential training-ground developments and changes to the Academy – both to the club and to Rafa Benitez. They have been sent via email as a list of questions, and they have also been asked at Press conferences.

On this occasion, Charnley agreed to give an interview about Newcastle’s accounts, and the topics for discussion were limited to that.

We will continue to keep asking the club questions going forward and we will endeavour for answers.

Getting Charnley to speak on the record about the accounts was a start – given this is his first on-the-record interview with the local media in more than three years. But we will endeavour for further on-the-record interviews in the future, when such questions can be answered.’

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